


Survival

by xsticknoodlesx



Category: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Spoilers, Survival, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28942173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsticknoodlesx/pseuds/xsticknoodlesx
Summary: After being left behind on the island yet again, the campers return to their treehouse to figure out what to do next. Now accompanied by Ben and Bumpy they settle down in their routine again. But as if outrunning dinosaurs, fighting for survival and trying to get off the island isn't hard enough, personal issues, feelings and fears arise, as well.
Relationships: Camp Fam, Darius Bowman & Kenji Kon & Sammy Gutierrez & Brooklynn & Yasmina Fadoula & Ben Pincus, Kenji Kon/Ben Pincus, Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula/Sammy Gutierrez
Comments: 16
Kudos: 163





	1. The First Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, at the risk of my not updating super frequently because I have a lot of stuff to do (because teachers think online class means we can do thousands of tasks from home and group work is super easy when separated from friends), I'm uploading the first chapter now!
> 
> I couldn't find a "Camp Fam" tag so I just tagged it as such. Sammy and Yasmina are kind of established already but not yet official, Ben and Kenji will get closer as well as Brooklyn and Darius probably. But there will be no sexual things. There will be kissing and cuddling, getting together and maybe some dirty jokes (because come on what 16-year-old doesn't make dirty jokes) but nothing sexual. A lot of this will be platonic, too, between them as friends. But ships are included, hence the tags.
> 
> I will try to upload frequently, given that I already watched all of Season 2 (I have no self-control to not binge it, whoops) and am now rewatching it. 
> 
> Obviously, this will contain "SPOILERS!"
> 
> Now ENOUGH rambling from me. Enjoy ^^

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The campers settle back in at the treehouse and feelings arise.

“You built this?“

Darius smiled at Ben’s amazement over their treehouse and nodded proudly. “Yes, it took us a few days but we managed with a lot of improvising. Do you like it?”

“It’s amazing!” Ben said in awe before he chuckled a little. “I only managed a little cover to sleep under but even that got destroyed eventually.”

Kenji swooped in, wrapping his arm around Ben’s shoulder. “And I was the one to design it. Awesome, huh?”

“You did not.” Yasmina mumbled as she passed them to climb up the ladder. “I did.”

“Yes, but I came up with the idea of a slide.” Kenji proclaimed.

“Doesn’t count as designing it.” Yasmina grinned from up in the treehouse. “But Ben, I think Bumpy should be able to take cover underneath the house, so that’s good, right?”

Ben nodded. “Yes, I wouldn’t want her to stay outside if it rains or storms.”

Bumpy gave a thankful growl and bumped Ben’s back, making the boy laugh. Sammy was up in the treehouse quickly, Brooklynn following and flopping down on the couch.

“I’ll call dibs on the first shower!” Kenji exclaimed before running for the ladder. Then he stopped and turned to Ben. “On second thought, maybe you should call dibs. You must be so sweaty and covered in mud. Did you ever get the chance to shower?”

“Not shower, but I did wash up in the stream near my camp from time to time.” Ben then motioned for the dirt on his arms and face. “This dirt has a function, by the way. It’s protecting my face and arms from the sun. And it also works as camouflage.”

“That’s nifty.” Brooklynn admitted. “Is the shirt around your head for sun protection, too.”

“Yes.” Ben nodded before grinning. “And it looks cool.”

“We have different definitions of cool.” Yasmina joked nad Sammy elbowed her in the side to which she laughed. “I’m joking. Makes you look like Rambo.”

Darius laughed a little before placing a hand on Ben’s back. “Come on, up you go.”

“Thanks.”

Brooklynn got up while Ben and Darius climbed up, watching Bumpy lie down underneath the house to rest. “Looks like someone’s exhausted.”

“She saved our butts several times.” Ben defended her before nodding toward the sky. “It’s getting dark, too.”

“I could go for some dinner.” Kenji smiled.

Darius groaned as he sat down. “We still have no way to open the cans.”

Sammy shook her head and pulled out a can opener. “Not so fast. Look at what I snatched from the hunters!”

“They were good for something, at least.” Yasmina mumbled. “Other than killing innocent animals and getting us nearly killed in the process.”

Darius smirked. “But I think I saw two of the Baryonyx swim toward the boat while Tiff was yelling that she was going to leave us.”

“Two?” Sammy mumbled. “I hope that doesn’t mean one of them got injured or shot.”

“Why?” 

“They were a family, Brook.” Sammy sighed. “They should be able to hunt and live together, as a family.”

Ben sat down next to Sammy. “I hope so, too. Did you name them?”

“How do you know?” Sammy looked a lot happier in an instant. “Their names are Chaos, Grim and Limbo.”

“Those are some interesting names.”

“More creative then Bumpy.” Yasmina joked and shoved Ben’s arm. “I mean, we get it, she has two different sized head bumps!”

Ben laughed at that and shook his head. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t my most creative moment but I think the name suits her.”

“It sure does.”

Darius smiled as he sat back, watching Ben have fun with his friends after spending so much time on his own. He wondered whether or not Ben had been scared, then realised that it was very likely. Anyone would have been scared after falling from such a height, being pursued by Pteranodons and then having to navigate the island alone, fighting off dinosaurs and having no one to talk to. He swallowed a little, smiling off his thoughts as he saw Brooklynn’s worried glance before snatching the can opener from Sammy and getting to work.

And within the next hour, the campers were sitting by the light of the fire they had made to heat up the canned ravioli, eating, talking and laughing. Bumpy was resting underneath the treehouse, only making her presence known with an occasional grunt as she changed position. Darius watched as Ben and Kenji told a story, bickering about in such a loving and friendly manner that everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Sammy and Yasmina were whispering to Brooklynn from time to time – every time Ben and Kenji bickered like an old married couple there was whispering. Darius chuckled as the two boys started up again.

“No, it was your fault we got caught in a tree with the Girosphere.” Ben said in amusement. “You drove over that ramp in the dirt.”

“I thought it’d be fun.” Kenji smirked. “And you didn’t complain when I let you cling to my arm while we went to find the others.”

“I was scared!” Ben defended himself.

Kenji’s smirk faded into a smile and he pulled Ben to his side. “It’s fine, I get it. But now you don’t have to be scared anymore. You’re hardcore!”

“Oh, believe me, I am scared constantly.” Ben said with a dry laugh. “I just try to be brave but I guess you can still be brave if you’re scared. I mean bravery is just working through your fears and facing them, right?”

“You fought Toro!” Kenji exclaimed. “I think you’re the bravest one of us!”

“Seriously? How did you do that?” Sammy leaned in.

“I didn’t really _fight_ her.” Ben shrugged. “I dodged her attacks, made her fall, hurt her with my spear and then Bumpy came and totally saved me. We crowded her to the edge of a cliff and made her fall down.”

“You say that as if it’s not a super hard feat, still.” Brooklynn mumbled. “I mean, you managed not to get eaten and faced her.”

“You guys make me sound like some sort of hero and not just Ben.” 

Darius smiled at Ben. “We just think it’s really admirable and downright awesome how you managed to survive and even help us.”

“Thanks.” Ben smiled softly before looking around. “Do you guys all have designated beds? Is there a place for me to sleep?”

“Not really.” Kenji muttered. “The girls have their bunk and Darius and I each have one of the bunk beds. But you can share a bed with me or Darius.”

“Yes.” Darius nodded. “But we’ll get you a bed soon, as well.”

Ben nodded and swallowed. “Would it be okay if I shared with Kenji? Not that I don’t want to share with you but- but I feel a bit safer with Kenji.”

“Woah, seriously? I feel honoured that Rambo Ben feels safe with me.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean! But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like Darius or anything or-“

“It’s fine. Whatever makes you more comfortable is fine.” Darius smiled. “Do you want to take a shower before you go to sleep?”

“Yes, can you show me how it works?”

“Sure, come along.”

\---

Kenji was awoken later that night to Ben hanging onto him like a leech. He rolled onto his back a little more to which the other boy cuddled even closer. Kenji sighed, staring at the ceiling of their make-shift camp. Perhaps Ben was cold. Kenji reached behind him for a spare blanket to drape over Ben. But it only made him inch closer, practically clinging to Kenji for dear life. Kenji was about to wake the other boy when he heard him whimper in distress, before burying his face at the taller boy’s side.

“Ben.” Kenji whispered softly. “Are you okay?”

But Ben seemed to still be asleep, all while still groaning and whimpering in fear. Kenji quickly concluded that he must have had a nightmare so he decided to shake the boy awake.

“Ben, wake up!” Kenji said a little louder, shaking the younger boy. “Wake up!”

And to his luck, Ben quickly did, shooting upright and panting, flailing his arms as if to rid himself of an unseen assailant. Kenji sat up, as well, putting a hand onto Ben’s back. It drew the boy’s attention to him and Ben turned to look back at Kenji.

“Thanks for waking me.”

“Did you have a bad dream?”

“You’ll laugh.”

Kenji shook his head and wrapped an arm around Ben. “I promise I won’t. And if I do, you’re permitted to hit me.”

Ben smiled a little at that and quickly wiped his eyes. “When- back when I first found myself alone I was attacked by the Compies. And I know they are small but there were like fifty of them. Bumpy saved me, scaring them away but we had a fight. I yelled at her and she left. And then I was alone with the Compies again. I don’t know why but they scared me so much.”

“You dreamed of them.”

“Yes. I dreamed of them eating me, chewing on me while never killing me swiftly because they are so small. And- and Bumpy was- she hated me and just stared.”

Kenji laughed at that, earning himself a punch to the arm from Ben. “I’m not laughing at you! I’m laughing at the idea that Bumpy could ever hate you! I mean she’s practically your biggest fan. You’re like her dad. You’re the first thing she saw after hatching. She adores you.”

“I just- I was so mean to her. I’m scared she’s angry.”

Kenji thought for a second before getting to his knees and crawling to the bed’s ladder. “Come on with me.”

“Where to?”

“Just come!” Kenji insisted quietly and Ben took his hand.

Kenji led him out of the boys’ bunk, through the main area and then down the main ladder. Once downstairs he grabbed Ben’s hand and pulled him underneath the house where Bumpy was resting. At the intrusion, she looked up before raising her head to bump Ben. The boy laughed a little, tears collecting in his eyes while Kenji smiled.

“See? Bumpy loves you!” Kenji smiled.

Ben smiled and hugged the dinosaur. “I love her, too.”

“I’m sure she knows.” Kenji approached, petting Bumpy’s nose. “Hey, how about we stay here for a while?”

“Is that safe?”

“We have a giant Anky- Ankle- whatever Bumpy is to protect us.”

“Ankylosaurus.” Ben whispered and sat down next to Bumpy, leaning into her belly. “I’m scared she’s still angry at me. I really yelled at her, called her a bad girl and all because she destroyed my dumb shelter. And she still came back to protect me.”

“Ben, not to undermine Bumpy but I doubt a dinosaur has that great of a memory.” Kenji said, sitting down next to Ben against Bumpy’s belly. “She’s forgiven you.”

“She was the only one there for me after I fell.” Ben whispered, tears running down his cheeks now. “And I was so mean to her.”

Kenji shook his head and embraced Ben. “People fight, even people that love each other. My dad and I fight all the time but we still love each other. If you really love someone, you can forgive them after a fight.”

“Thank you.” Ben whispered.

He held onto Kenji a little tighter, only letting go once Bumpy turned her head to lick Ben, making him laugh through his tears. Kenji fell back and watched as Ben hugged Bumpy again, holding onto her for a few seconds. Then he let go and leaned against her belly, again.

“Do you think we can stay here a little longer?”

“Sure.” Kenji nodded and sat back down. “Let’s stay with your dino friend a bit longer.”

“Not my dino crush?” Ben laughed a little.

Kenji chuckled. “No, I realised she probably sees you like family, so that’d be weird. Let’s just relax a little, okay?”

Ben nodded and leaned back. “Can I come closer?”

“Yeah, knock yourself out.”

Ben smiled and slowly let his head sink onto Kenji’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “Is this okay?”

Kenji nodded and leaned his head against Ben’s head. “If you’d like to, sure.”

“Thanks, Kenji. You’re the best.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Ben snorted at that and Kenji smiled while Bumpy just groaned contently.


	2. Morning Suprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids come up with a plan to find some new supplies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the wait. I have so many assignments for school. But now I have some time to write. So here is the next chapter ^^
> 
> Hope you like it^^

“They’re gone!“

Yasmina rolled to her side, nearly falling out her bunk. “What?”

“What’s up?” Sammy jumped off her bunk. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re gone!”

“Who?” 

“Ben and Kenji!”

“Darn it!” Yasmina said and quickly got off the bunk, checking the shower and living area. “Where are they?”

Sammy shrugged. “I hope they didn’t wander off and got lost.”

“Or worse: attacked!” Brooklynn exclaimed, looking out into the jungle while Darius got down from the treehouse. “I can’t see anything! Wouldn’t they tell us where they were going?”

Darius’ quiet laughter got the girls to look down. “I found them.”

Yasmina, Sammy and Brooklynn got down the ladder, turning to find Ben and Kenji cuddled close together, sleeping against Bumpy’s belly. Darius crossed his arms, a smile spreading across his face. Brooklynn grinned and the two other girls whispered to one another. Darius approached, getting to his knees in front of the boys.

“Ben! Kenji!”

Kenji groaned and swatted at Darius, curling further against Bumpy and around Ben. The smaller boy opened his eyes, eyeing Darius in question before realising what was going on and blushing madly, quickly shaking Kenji awake. Kenji blinked at the others and sat up, stretching nonchalantly.

“Did you two sneak out to have a date?” Yasmina teased.

“Yeah, a date with what is basically Ben’s baby present sounds super romantic.”

“So that’s the only issues you have with this, Kenji?” Brooklynn smirked.

Kenji jumped up and shook his head, face going just a tinge red. “Oh, come on. What are you guys? Twelve? I’m hitting the shower!”

Darius held out a hand to Ben and the boy took it, letting himself be pulled up. The kids went back upstairs while Bumpy got up to roam around and get some food. While Kenji showered, everyone worked on preparing breakfast and getting ready. They were all still in their makeshift pyjamas – meaning not wearing shoes, jacket or walking around in boxers and a t-shirt – so everyone started with getting properly dressed. Then they sat at the table, waiting for Kenji to get done drying his hair.

“Why are you so obsessed with your hair? No one is around to see it.” Brooklynn laughed a little. “Who cares?”

“Ben is around.” Yasmina smirked, earning herself an eye-roll.

Sammy chuckled. “Let him try to have a semblance of normality. That’s kind of really important for mental health and stuff.”

Yasmina shrugged and leaned back. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Peaches and pineapple.” Sammy proclaimed. “But guys, we’re running out of food.”

“We could try hunting.” Ben suggested.

Brooklynn made a face. “I’m not gutting a dinosaur!”

“Me neither.” Kenji shook his head. “But there has to be something left for us to eat on Main Street.”

“What else could there be other than frozen pizza?” Darius sighed. “There’s nothing left that hasn’t rotted.”

“Maybe there is.” Kenji sat down at the table, facing his friends. “There’s still the hotel, right? And they must have some sort of food so they can serve the guests staying there. I mean they had an all-inclusive thing going where they offered breakfast and dinner each day.”

Ben nodded along. “If you keep something like onions or potatoes in a dark, dry space they can stay edible for a few weeks, right? Maybe they have a storage room downstairs in the basement.”

Brooklynn nodded. “Great idea! I mean, things like meat or fish must have gone bad by now but there are things like certain fruits, potatoes or nuts that we can scavage.”

“Do we have space to store them?” Darius mumbled. “I mean where they are cool and fresh.”

Yasmina thought for a second, then looked up. “We can bury them. We dig a whole, build a wooden box, store the food in the box and bury it. The boy just has to be well-build so no dirt gets in.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what people did like way back in the day when there were no fridges and things like that.” Ben mused.

“See? And they probably have cans, too.” Kenji suggested. “Or noodles or rice. That’s basically non-perishable for months!”

Darius nodded. “We just need to be careful about Rexy.”

Ben nodded. “And Bumpy can’t exactly go into the basement with us. Maybe we should let her stay here while we go. For her own safety.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Sammy nodded. “Let’s do that!”

\---

Mainstreet never failed to give everyone entering it after the destruction, an eerie feeling. Once bustling with life and people, the shops were deserted and rubble was everywhere. The campers slowly made their way through Mainstreet, listening out for anything that would indicate the Rex coming. But it seemed that she was preoccupied since they made it to the hotel with no issues.

The hotel wasn’t as trashed as some of the other places, even though there was furniture strewn across the lobby, people’s belonging were all over the place and everything just generally looked like it had been abandoned without much care. But apparently, no big dinosaurs had managed to find a way inside, so the rampage inside was kept at a minimum. 

Brooklynn tried to phones but they were not working so she went on to looking for anything that could be used to male contact with the mainland. Darius was searching for a map of not only the park but the hotel, as well. Sammy and Yas were looking around for the kitchen while Ben tried to ignore Kenji’s boasting about his VIP suite at the hotel.

“And every morning you come down to the main eating area to-“

“Kenji, that’s all great.” Ben interrupted. “But where is that eating area?”

“Oh, right!” Kenji laughed. “It’s right down that hallway and then to the left.”

“Okay, then let’s go there.”

Darius turned to the two boys. “We need a plan on who gets what. I suggest Brooklynn and I go look for water and maybe things like flashlights.”

Yasmina nodded. “Sammy and I should go look for medical supplies and the sort.”

Sammy looked up. “Maybe it is also a good idea to look for something like- you know- girl products. We’ll be here for a while longer.”

Kenji snorted at that. “What girl products? Ryan Gosling movies?” He stopped laughing when Ben lightly smacked him in the arm. “What?”

“Are you serious right now?” Ben asked in amusement. “You’re sixteen! You should know what they mean.”

Brooklynn nodded. “Seriously, Kenji, how do you not know what we mean when we talk about girl products? Like feminine hygiene products? Like-“

“Oh!” Kenji exclaimed as realisation dawned on him. “Oh, _those_ kinds of girl products!”

“Exactly.” Sammy chuckled. “Will you and Ben look for food?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s go.”

Brooklynn and Darius left, while Sammy and Yasmina went to the first aid station. Kenji guided Ben down the hallway until they came to the dining hall. Tables were strewn about, chairs knocked over and food scattered across the floor. A quick inspection revealed that the food had spoiled by now, to no one’s surprise. Ben examined the room, holding the spear he had brought close. Kenji watched him roam around. He tried to keep his mind focused but he couldn’t help it from drifting. 

Ever since Ben had reappeared, Kenji couldn’t help but keep close to the boy, stare and talk to him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had friends before – in fact, he’d say he was friends with everyone else present – but Ben was something else. At Ben calling out to him, Kenji chalked it up to him having missed the other boy and hurried over.

“What’s up?”

Ben pointed at a book. “They wrote down what foods came in and out of the kitchen. And it says that there is a storage room in the basement.”

“Then to the basement we go!”

Ben nodded and watched Kenji hurry off. “You seemed a bit sad there before. What’s up?”

“Not sad, just thinking.” Kenji nodded and scooped out the hallway before moving toward the door to the stairway. “Come on, Benny.”

Ben couldn’t help but smile at that nickname as he ran after Kenji. “What were you thinking about?”

“Just feelings and stuff. I though you were dead and yet, here you are, talking to me.” Kenji explained as he started going down the stairway. “I couldn’t go a day without thinking about you and what happened, how I could have helped and- I guess, what I’m trying to say is that I missed you. Like a whole lot.”

“I missed you, too.” Ben admitted, stopping and looking down at his feet. “I spent so long thinking that maybe, just maybe we can see each other again but I knew it was hopeless. I thought you guys were long gone and I was all alone.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

“Terrified. As tough as I try to be right now I am still terrified.” Ben admitted.

Kenji stopped and turned, shaking his head. “You have every right to be terrified but I promise you I will never leave you alone again.”

Ben gave him a tight smile and nodded. “Kenji, I do believe that you’re sincere but- but I guess, I just need a little more time to fully trust you guys again.”

“Darn it.” Kenji groaned and rubbed his head. “Ben, I’m so sorry we never looked for you and- and that we- and when you hung there-“

“Kenji, I’m not blaming you.” Ben said sincerely, looking at Kenji. “I’m not blaming any of you, okay? I just need some time to be able to trust and rely on you all again after what happened. Can you try to understand that?”

“Okay.” Kenji nodded, yet his eyes looked teary all of the sudden. “But I promise you can trust me, okay? Just keep that in mind.”

“I will.”

“Good.” The older boy swallowed and quickly rubbed at his eyes before setting off down the stairs again, Ben following. “So, once we get down there’s a door at the end of the hallway there and I think that’s where they keep the food. It’s been kept dark and dry int here so it should still be good.”

Ben nodded and followed Kenji downstairs. The hallway there was deserted, not even a Compy running around. So Kenji ventured on and into the storage room. And to his and Ben’s delight, there was an abundance of food.

Ben practically jumped in delight and quickly began storing up on cans, noodles and rice while Kenji looked around for whatever else he could find. At his joyful laughter, Ben looked up to find him holding up several bars of chocolate and packs of gummi worms.

“This is amazing!” Kenji cheered. “We should have thought of this before.”

Ben nodded and smiled brightly. “You have the best ideas, Kenji, seriously. I don’t know why we keep bashing your VIP stories when they bring us things like this!”

“Because you all call me a pompous douchebag?”

“I mean, yes, but-“

Ben was interrupted by a growl from the hallway outside. Both him and Kenji froze, the taller boy silently approaching the door to close it. When he got there, he froze and turned in fear.

“There’s a dinosaur out there.” Kenji whispered in panic, slowly closing the door. “What do we do now? She has a fan around her neck and stuff.”

“A Dilophosaurus.” Ben whispered in shock. “Oh, not only will she probably be hungry but they’re all dangerous.”

Kenji stared at Ben, eyes wide in panic. “Darn it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments ^^ I hope you liked this chapter, too!


	3. Food Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The food run isn't turning out like they thought it would and in the midst of the chaos, Kenji ponders on his guilt over not helping Ben back at the monorail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, long time no see.  
> I'm sorry this took so long. I had a lot of stuff to do for school, got a few bad news and as such my anxiety/OCD has only skyrocketed. The lockdown isn't helping (and the fact that MAYBE we need to get back to school before the lockdown is even over because thanks politicians I guess and we don't even get information but that's a rant for another day).   
> But I finally got myself to finish this chapter and I really hope you like it ^^
> 
> I'll try to upload more frequently but I have other WIPs, too. But I'll do my best to get the next chapter up without a long wait. Enjoy ^^

“Darn it!“ 

Kenji was whispering to himself in fear, swearing as he looked for another way out. He could hear the Dilophosaurus walking around outside, sniffing and probably knowing that the boys were there. Ben swallowed nervously and held his spear close, watching the door intently.

“There is no other way out.”

“What about the vents?” Kenji whispered. “You’d just about fit.”

Ben shook his head. “You won’t, though. Kenji, I won’t freaking leave you here!”

Kenji groaned in annoyance. “We have to do something!”

“I have an idea.”

Kenji looked up just as the dinosaur attacked the door. The boy threw himself against it, terrified that it would open. Ben shook his head an approached, unlocking it, much to Kenji's horror.

“What are you doing?” Kenji whispered in fear. “What the heck are you doing?”

“Get behind the door. We’ll open it and when the dinosaur barges in, we run past her and close the door behind us.” Ben said quickly. “And then we run.”

Kenji nodded. Ben was smart and Kenji knew it. But that wasn’t the only reason why he trusted Ben. For some reason, his mind didn’t mind a single reason to not trust the younger boy. But this was not the time to think about what he felt; this was the time to escape a hungry, venomous dinosaur.

Kenji took place behind Ben, hoping his plan would work. When the younger boy opened the door, the Dilophosaurus roam inside, sniffing around and going straight for the other side of the room. Ben waited a few more seconds, giving her a chance to get away from the door before he grabbed Kenji’s hand.

“Now!”

Kenji just followed, letting Ben pull him outside, managing to slam the door shut behind them. Ben didn’t stop for a second though, pulling Kenji along and up the stairs until the finally made it back to the hallway they had started from. Panting and gasping for breath, they stood a few more seconds until Brooklynn interrupted them.

“Why are you so out of breath? What’s going on?”

“Dilophosaurus.” Ben managed to pant out.

Darius’ face placed and he stared at the door behind the two boys. “Did you close the door? Is she coming upstairs?”

“No, I banged the door shut.” Kenji promised.

Another loud bang from downstairs made all of the kids flinch. Yasmina sprung into action, checking out the surroundings and getting ready to run. Sammy clutched their supply bag and Brooklynn’s hands tightened around her trusty baseball bat. Darius stared at Ben and Kenji in shock.

“I think she got the door open.” Ben squeaked, staring back at Darius. “We need to leave before she finds us!”

“Good idea.” Brooklynn nodded. “Did you get everything we need?”

“We got food.” Ben nodded.

“We found medical supplies.” Sammy quickly stated. “Let’s go!”

Darius nodded and quickly made his way out of the hotel, his friends following him. When they made it to the streets they all stopped dead in their tracks, shrieking it fear as the Tyrannosaurus had apparently just decided to come back to Main Street. And as she saw them, she immediately came toward them. Yasmina swore quietly and yelled at everyone to hide.

The kids ran down Main Street, the Rex on hot pursuit. But eventually, they managed to round a corner, getting out of her vision for long enough to run inside an abandoned restaurant. Once inside, Kenji looked around.

“Get to the kitchen in the back!”

At his request everyone did, not needing to be asked twice. And just as the Rex passed the restaurant, sniffing for them, the kids managed to get into the kitchen and slam the door shut. Yasmina knelt down, giving her ankle a rest while Sammy pressed against the door, stifling her harsh breathing. Brooklynn looked around, checking to see if everyone had made it. Then she turned to Ben and Kenji, bringing up a hand to stifle her laughter.

“What?” Ben hissed quietly. “This isn’t funny.”

“Kenji, why are you still holding onto Ben’s hand?”

Everyone else turned to look at the boys while Kenji quickly pulled his hand back, stammering out an apology. Sammy snickered and Yasmina smirked until Darius shushed them.

“She’s looking through the restaurant.” 

“We just have to wait it out.” Yasmina commented. “If she leaves we’ll eventually manage to get back to camp, right?”

“Right.”

It took the Tyrannosaurus thirty minutes to finally become bored with the surrounding areas, enabling the kids to leave and slowly walk down Main Street. Darius was on the lookout, Brooklynn watching out for the Tyrannosaurs, too. Yasmina and Sammy kept close together, the latter helping the former. And Ben held his spear close while Kenji kept by his side, quietly following everyone else. To everyone’s relief, the Tyrannosaurus didn’t come back and they eventually managed to get back into the jungle, away from Main Street.

\---

“Finally!” Sammy exclaimed as she let herself fall onto the make-shift couch. 

Kenji sat down next to her, bringing one leg up to his chest. “Yeah, man, risking our life every other day is hard.”

“You okay there, Kenji?”

Kenji nodded, watching Darius and Ben leave to check on Bumpy while Brooklynn went to get some water. Now that he was alone with Yasmina on the armchair and Sammy next to him, he brought his other leg up to his chest, burying his face there.

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I messed up again.” Kenji groaned, shaking his head. “Ben and I were locked in that room with the Dilophosaurus outside. And he managed to– he figured out what to do! And I just stood around, doing nothing.”

Yasmina sighed little, leaning forward to look at Kenji. “Hey, that’s okay. You were scared and didn’t know what to do.”

“I feel so darn useless.” Kenji groaned. “I– it’s like on the monorail. I was completely frozen and– I– and Ben was hanging onto Darius’ hand and I did nothing!”

“We didn’t do anything either.” Sammy said in a sad little voice.

Kenji shook his head. “It’s different, though! Like, not to be rude or anything but Yaz was injured and I’m pretty sure I’m both taller and stronger than the both of you.”

“May I remind you that I am an esteemed athlete?”

“You run but I do weight lifting.” 

“Wait, seriously?” Sammy snorted. “Weight lifting?”

Kenji shrugged, not interested in answering their questions about it. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all later over dinner, okay? The point is. I am strong and tall and more than capable to just help and pull Ben up but I didn’t! I let him fall!”

“Kenji, you don’t have to feel guilty. You don’t always make the smartest decisions when scared.” Sammy whispered. “I mean, I can sing a whole song about making dumb decisions because I was scared for my family.”

Yasmina’s face fell and she felt even worse when she saw the tears in Kenji’s eyes. She quickly wrapped an arm around him, despite her inhibitions about that much friendly physical contact with anyone but Sammy. But as the other girl saw Kenji blinking in surprise before slowly leaning in to hug Yasmina back, she quickly dove in to hug their friend, as well.

“It’s okay, Kenji.” Sammy promised. “We’re all together again and that’s what matters.”

“Thanks, guys.” Kenji whispered. “Please don’t tell Ben that I nearly cried just now.”

“Sure.” Yasmina chuckled. “Sure thing.”

Unbeknownst to Kenji, Ben was listening from down my the ladder. He had finished checking on Bumpy and had been about to climb back up when he’d realised the conversation had been about him. Now he stood down by the ladder, frozen in a mixture of sadness, guilt and fear as the words kept ringing through his head, the images of that day flashing through his mind. Darius stood behind him, swallowing sadly as he watched Ben. 

He had to comfort him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope you liked this chapter! I always appreciate Kudos or Comments. But don't feel pressured.
> 
> See you all ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Don't be shy to leave a Kudos or a Comment. But please don't feel forced to do it either! See you ^^


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